Welcome to the Register of Interests tracker for the London Borough of Hillingdon. To help make local government data accessible and transparent, this page aggregates and tracks the declared financial and personal interests of all 53 elected councillors in Hillingdon.
ⓘ What is an 'Interest' and what are the rules?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What exactly is a "Disclosable Pecuniary Interest"? A pecuniary interest is a financial or business interest that could potentially influence a councillor's judgment. By law, councillors must declare these interests not only for themselves but also for their spouse or civil partner. This includes:
Employment or Business: Any job, trade, profession, or business they run for profit.
Sponsorship: Any financial contributions received toward election expenses or trade union memberships.
Property and Land: Any property or land they own, rent, or have a beneficial interest in within the London Borough of Hillingdon.
Council Contracts: Any ongoing business contracts between the council and a company the councillor has an interest in.
Securities: Shares or investments in companies that have a place of business or land in Hillingdon (above a certain nominal value).
How long do newly elected councillors have to file their answers? Under the Hillingdon Constitution and national law, newly elected or co-opted councillors must formally notify the Council's Monitoring Officer of all their disclosable pecuniary interests within 28 days of taking office.
How up to date should the register be? The register must remain continuously accurate. If a councillor's circumstances change, they are legally required to update their register within 28 days. Furthermore, if a councillor verbally declares a new, unregistered interest during a council meeting, they must follow up by officially adding it to the written register within 28 days.
What are the consequences for the register being out of date or incomplete? Failing to maintain an accurate Register of Interests is a serious breach of public trust and carries strict penalties:
Criminal Offence: Under Section 34 of the Localism Act 2011, it is a criminal offence for a councillor to fail to register or declare their pecuniary interests without a reasonable excuse, or to knowingly provide false or misleading information. If found guilty, a councillor can face a substantial fine and be disqualified from holding public office for up to five years.
Disciplinary Action: Omissions or failures to update the register can lead to formal complaints and investigations by the council's Monitoring Officer and the Standards Committee.
Invalidated Decisions: If a councillor participates in a vote where they hold an undeclared pecuniary interest, they break the law and could potentially open the council's decision up to legal challenge.
What happens if a councillor has an interest in a specific meeting agenda item? If a matter is being debated at a council or committee meeting that directly relates to a councillor's registered interest, they must declare the interest at the start of the meeting. Unless they have been granted a special dispensation by the Standards Committee, they may not participate in the discussion or the vote, and usually must leave the room while the item is decided.
What is a "Sensitive Interest"? If a councillor believes that publishing the details of a specific interest could lead to them or someone connected to them being subjected to violence or intimidation, they can apply to the Monitoring Officer to have it classified as a "Sensitive Interest." If approved, the public register will simply note that an interest exists, but the specific details will be withheld from the public view.